Hence the Espanola joke, which has been making the rounds of New Mexico lately. These are always question-and-answer jokes. Few of them are nice and fewer still are free of an obvious anti-Hispanic bias. A printable sample: ''How can you tell when it's winter in Espanola? When the fur on low rider dashboards grows longer.'' Printable, but ethnically hostile: ''Why are low rider steering wheels so small? So you can drive them handcuffed.''
One of my favorites when I lived in Santa Fe 30 years ago: "What is the most confusing day of the year in Espanola? Father's day."
Line is getting longer. And, the secret service have arrived.
Q: What do the Espanola police drive?
A: A lowrider with a luminaria on top.